


And the Roses Bloom

by JustGettingBy



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting Together, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:53:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25092676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustGettingBy/pseuds/JustGettingBy
Summary: To commemorate the fourth anniversary of Ba Sing Se’s liberation and his reinstallation on the throne, King Kuei holds a peace summit with a ball to cap it all off.Toph needs Zuko to be her fake-date.Sokka misunderstands.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 1145





	And the Roses Bloom

The study King Kuei gave Zuko to use in his palace is extravagant, by any standard. The only thing it lacks is a sturdy door. 

Zuko’s halfway through reading his monthly budget (which makes his eyes glaze over) when the door flies open with a bang. 

In front of him stands Toph, barefoot and wild-haired with a frown across her face and dirt on the hem of her pants. 

“You could knock, you know.”

“What’s the point in that, Sparky? You would’ve just told me that you were busy and I should come back later. This way I can talk to you now.”

“That’s because I  _ am _ busy,” Zuko says. He turns his attention back to the budget report—if he loses his place now, it’ll take forever to get back into reading it. 

“Sure you are.”

Zuko sighs. “Did you actually want to talk to me? Or did you just come here to annoy me?”

Toph sinks down in the chair on the other side of Zuko’s desk and kicks her feet up on the surface. “A little bit of both, actually.”

Zuko wrinkles his nose and pulls a letter from his finance minister free from under her heel. “What is it?”

She laces her hands behind her head and grins. “You’re my date to the ball next week.” 

“Am I?” 

“Yep,” Toph says, popping her ‘p’. “You’re mine.”

* * *

Later, Zuko learns she asked only because her parents keep trying to set her up with Lord Huang—a beyond rich Earth Kingdom noble nearly twice her age who smells like cabbage and breathes so loud it can be heard from across any given room. 

The request was more serious than she let on—not that Toph ever would wear her emotions on her sleeve. She couldn’t just ask Sokka (and it stings to think of Sokka with anyone else, even if he knows it’s not real) or Teo or Haru—Lord Huang is too high status. Her parents wouldn’t hesitate to dismiss any of them. The only people they couldn’t object to are, well, himself or Aang. And Aang isn’t exactly available. 

* * *

  
That night, Uncle invites them all for dinner. 

Zuko finds himself sandwiches between Sokka and Aang. 

“Hey,” Sokka says, giving Zuko that bright, crooked smile of his that makes his heart beat misfire. “That education plan of yours? I think it’s going to be something really special.”

Zuko’s face warms. “It’s nothing, really.”

“It’s not  _ nothing.  _ You’re rebuilding the entire education system. Making it free and rehauling the whole curriculum. It’s gonna change the nation—I wouldn’t be surprised if the Northern Water Tribe adopts that model in a few years.”

“Thanks.” Zuko stares at his rice. He’s glad Sokka’s sitting on his left, where his ear is always red, whether he’s blushing or not. 

He swallows dryly.  _ Return the compliment _ , insists a voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like Mai. 

“I, uh—did you do something new with your hair?” Even as he says it, Zuko cringes. 

Sokka’s hand goes to his wolf-tail. “I shaved the sides this morning?

“Well, it looks nice.” Zuko shovels rice into his mouth and tries not to focus on the fact that Sokka is definitely staring at him. 

Across the table, Uncle grins at him. Zuko prays that Agni will swallow him whole. 

* * *

On the first day of the summit, the King held a banquet to welcome his guests. 

Afterwards, in the corridor, there was a moment when Zuko thought he and Sokka might kiss. They had been so close together, just the two of them, whispering about the future they wanted to build. 

Zuko was staring at the curve of Sokka’s lips when Katara turned down the hall, ranting up some pig-headed Northern minister. 

Sokka never brought up the almost-kiss again. 

But then again, neither did Zuko. 

  
  


* * *

The day after the dinner at Uncle’s, as they’re coming out of a round table discussion on the economic instability of the South-East Earth Kingdom that seemed to last about ten hours (even if Zuko knows it was only two), Sokka turns to Zuko. “Do you wanna spar? I need to stretch my legs after that.”

There’s a stack of papers on his desk Zuko still needs to read before the debrief on Republic City tomorrow. “Yes,” he replies without a second thought. “Just one round.”

* * *

Zuko and Sokka end up sparring until the sun sinks low over the walls of Ba Sing Se. 

He drags himself to his study afterwards, even though there’s nothing he craves more than a warm bath and the comfort of his bed. Instead, Zuko studies his notes until his eyes strain to make out the characters in the low light of his candle. 

By some miracle, he manages to keep his eyes open through the meeting on Republic City, even though exhausting presses on his temples. 

At one point, he thinks he catches Sokka staring, but by the time his brain catches up with his eyes, Sokka’s head is back in his notes. 

* * *

One afternoon, in the library at the palace, Zuko is searching for a book on Earth Kingdom cultural history when he bumps into Sokka, quite literally. 

“Zuko!” Sokka scrambles down to pick up Zuko’s history book for him. 

Zuko brushes the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“My fault—I should’ve been paying attention.” Sokka offers out the book and hesitates for a moment. “Is that a new tunic?”

“This?” Zuko looks down—it’s his regular black and red tunic, the one he’s had for ages and is, in all honesty, probably not suitable for the Fire Lord. “Uh, no?”

“Oh. Well. It looks nice.”

When Zuko takes his book back, their hands brush for a moment. He holds on longer than he should—but Sokka doesn’t pull away either. 

“Thanks.” Zuko’s not sure if he means it in regard to the book or the compliment, but either way Sokka’s gone before he can say anything else on the matter. 

* * *

Toph catches him before he heads to bed that night. “My parents want me to invite you to dinner before the ball.”

“Do they?”

“Yeah. So I’ll tell them you’re coming.”

“You haven’t actually asked me yet, you know.”

Toph tsks with annoyance. “Fine. Sparky—will you come to dinner with me?”

“Why yes, Lady Beifong. It’d be my pleasure.”

Toph makes a face. “I’ll be wearing a dress, by the way. Any comment on it and I’ll lock you in a windowless metal box forever.”

“I’m the one doing  _ you  _ a favour. You’re hardly in the position to be making demands.” 

“Maybe not, but I am.”

Zuko sighs. There’s no winning against Toph Beifong. 

* * *

The day before the ball, Zuko’s walking to a meeting with King Kuei when he catches a glimpse of Sokka practicing his sword fighting in the royal garden. 

He’s not wearing a shirt. 

Zuko’s brain stops working.

Sokka moves with grace and ease, flexing and flowing from one move into the next. The sun on his face is kind to his skin and brings out the depth of the blues of his eyes. He’s grown since the last time they saw each other. Maybe only an inch of height, but he’s more broad through the shoulders now and that layer of practical muscle certainly wasn’t there before. 

Zuko shakes his head and keeps walking—he’s not some creep. 

* * *

The truth of it is this: Zuko’s loved Sokka since Boiling Rock. At least. Probably before that, but he hadn’t allowed himself so much as to think of Sokka that way until he left the Fire Nation. 

But once he realized he  _ did  _ start to think of Sokka that way, he found it was impossible to stop. 

* * *

Fortunately, there aren’t any meetings on the afternoon of the ball. For the first time in a long while, Zuko actually has a few spare moments to himself. 

Unfortunately, the lack of commitments means he had nothing to focus on but his upcoming ‘date’ with Toph. He wants to make it believable—Toph’s parents will be pissed if it’s clear they’re only together to save Toph from Lord Huang—but not so believable that rumours of upcoming weddings (or, Agni forbid,  _ children _ ) start to spread. 

Zuko’s deep in his thoughts when someone knocks on his door. It’s not Toph, at least he knows that. She wouldn’t have bothered. 

When he opens it, Sokka’s standing there, sword strapped to his back and crooked grin on his face. “Hey, Fire Lord Hotman.”

“Sokka.” He hadn’t expected him. Sokka probably had better things to do with his spare afternoon than come knocking around Zuko’s quarters. 

“Wanna spar?”

_ Yes.  _ Zuko does, desperately. But that also means he’ll have to bathe all over again. “I can’t—I have to get ready.”

Sokka chuckles. “Your hair always looks nice and all, Zuko, but I doubt it takes 6 hours to do.” 

“My hair?” Zuko’s suddenly very aware it’s loose around his shoulders at the moment. He can’t remember the last time he let anyone but his attendant see him with his hair down. It’s not proper, especially for the Fire Lord. “No—it’s not about my hair.”  _ Did Sokka say it looks nice?  _ “I’m having dinner with the Beifongs before the ball.”

“Ha! How much did Toph pay you for that one.”

Dully, Zuko realizes he  _ should  _ have asked Toph to pay for it. Or at least made it clear she owed him a favour. “Nothing,” he grumbles, “I’m her date.”

Sokka’s face falls. “Oh.” His eyes hover at the ground. “Sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“It’s fine. But hey—maybe we can’t spar, but we could go to Uncle’s? Get a cup of tea?” Zuko bites his lip. It’s not a huge gesture, but his voice-that-sounds-like-Mai is saying it’s progress, at the very least. 

“No, no. I’ll just go bug Aang or something.” Sokka gives Zuko a sad sort of smile. “Enjoy your date.”

Zuko wants to insist he come for a cup of tea, but he bites his lip. Sokka was only looking for a sparring partner. If he wanted to chat, he’d go to someone else—the way he’s going to Aang right now. 

* * *

Thankfully, Toph’s parents are staying in a separate wing of the palace than she is, which gives Zuko a few precious minutes to sort out his nerves after he knocks on her door. A muffled ‘coming’ sounds from within her chamber and Zuko stands in the corridor and bounces his weight on the balls of his feet. Part of him curses himself for agreeing to this. The last thing he needs is people spreading rumours about his love life. But he could never leave Toph to the lion-wolves—or Lord Huang. 

Finally her door opens. “Hey, Sparky.”

“Toph! You look beautiful.” And she does—her mass of her is twisted into an elaborate braid that winds around the back of her head before rising into a bun; her dress is a pale green that makes her skin glow; and, for once, her whole face is visible. With her bangs pulled back, Zuko can see her high and delicate cheekbones. 

Toph grins. “Right back at you, Sparky.”

Zuko chuckles dryly. He’s known Toph long enough not to fall for that one. Still, he hopes she’s right. It’s gotten better over the years, but he always feels a bit ridiculous in his full Fire Lord regalia. The wide shoulder piece, the gold trim, the curled boots… it’s all so dramatic. “Thanks,” he says anyway. 

“Don’t mention it. And it’s a good thing you told the truth—I could tell if you were lying.”

“Hmm. I actually don’t think you can right now.” 

“Fine. You got me.” Toph kicks her foot free from the skirt of her dress and wiggles it to show off her green silk slipper. “Ta-da.”

“Can you feel anything?”

“A bit. But not at all like normal.”

Zuko offers her his arm and she gladly takes it. 

“Looks like I’m not leaving your side tonight.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it. You ready for dinner, Lady Beifong?”

“I guess so, Your Majesty. My Lord. Oh great and mighty Fire Lord—“

“Toph.”

“Okay, okay..” She slugs him in the shoulder. “Let’s do this.”

“First rule of fake dating—you should probably not do  _ that. _ ”

* * *

Dinner, as it turns out, isn’t as painful as Zuko imagined it. Maybe that’s because he imagined it as literally torture, but still. 

It starts slow and stiff and awkward, with Lao Beifong making discussion about the economy. And, of course, Toph can’t let the evening pass without some passive-aggressive (and a few straight up aggressive) comments. The relationship between her and her parents is still strained, at best. But they’re trying, Zuko sees. They’re all really trying. 

It’s probably why Zuko’s here with Toph, instead of Toph running away after being almost-set-up. 

Zuko eats his bulgogi and tries to say as little as possible. That all changes when Poppy mentions she has tickets to  _ Oma & Shu _ in a few weeks time. 

“I’m excited, of course,” she says. “But the reviews are a bit mixed. It’s not  _ Love Amongst Dragons. _ ”

And, with that, Zuko comes alive.

* * *

“You talked to my mom more than you talked to me,” Toph says after dinner. They’re in the garden, killing half an hour before the ball. 

“Is that a bad thing? She thinks we talk to each other all the time. This was my chance to make a good impression on her.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be  _ too _ good. She’s gonna invite you to whatever production they’re putting on in Gaoling next spring.”

Zuko shrugs. “I can think of worse things.”

“You’re impossible, you know.”

“I know.”

* * *

If there’s one thing King Kuei knows, it’s how to throw a party. Zuko will give him that. There must be a few hundred people here—everyone from nobles to war heroes to rich merchants. A band plays music that echoes off the high arches of the roof and, underneath, the crowd swirls together in dance. 

Through the mass of people, Zuko spots Aang spinning Katara wildly. 

“Come on.” Toph pulls on Zuko’s arm. “Let’s get some dancing in before all the songs get slow and mushy.”

Zuko lets himself get pulled in. He doesn’t mind. It’s nice to have a night with his friend, a night where he doesn’t have to worry about reports or meetings or anything else on his docket. 

As he enters the dance floor with Toph (who insists on leading), he finds himself scanning the crowd for familiar faces: Aang and Katara aren’t far away; Lao and Poppy are on the other side of the dance floor, glancing their way; Teo and Haru are chatting up some girls in Water Tribe blues; Zuko even spots Suki dancing with her new girlfriend, Mali. 

And, with that, it clicks into Zuko’s mind just who he  _ hasn’t  _ seen _ :  _ Sokka’s nowhere in sight. He scans the room with his eyes, searching for that familiar wolf-tail. Was he avoiding Suki? When Zuko learned about their break-up, Sokka insisted it was a mural thing. And it had been almost a year ago now. 

Finally, Zuko spots him. Sokka’s at the edge of the hall, pressed up against the wall talking to another Water Tribe man (Bato, Zuko thinks is his name). He’s laughing, but his eyes are dull. Distracted. Sokka should be in the middle of the room, in Zuko’s opinion. He should be dancing. He should be showing off how brilliant he looks in his dark blue robes, trimmed with grey fur. 

“Everything alright, Sparky?”

“Yeah.” Zuko swallows. 

“Even through my shoes, I can tell that’s a lie.”

After he and Toph part from their dance, Zuko winds his way through the crowd. When he gets to the wall, Sokka’s gone. 

He doesn’t see him again for the rest of the night. 

* * *

Zuko wakes with a dull headache. It’s nothing serious, but he might’ve had one too many glasses of sake last night. The thought of staying in bed till noon temps Zuko, but it’s his last day in Ba Sing Se and he wants to make the most of it. 

He throws on his tunic and pulls up half his hair and leaves to walk around the palace. He’d like to see the gardens again. There’s roses that grow here that would never bloom in the heat of the Fire Nation. 

When he gets to the gardens, a light rain has already started. It’s nothing like the torrential downpours the rainy season at home brings; this rain is light and warm and leaves gentle drops clinging to flower petals.

Zuko’s leaning down to smell the lupines when he realizes that someone’s come up behind him. “Sokka. What are you doing here?”

Sokka gives Zuko a half smile. A drop of rain clings to his cheekbone; his tunic turns darker as it dampens. “I wanted to come talk. Your guard said you were here.”

Zuko nods slowly. His heart hammers against his rib cage. “I didn’t see you much last night.”

“Yeah about that…” Sokka brushes the back of his neck and takes a deep breath. “I just wanted to say that I’m really happy for you. I mean, I didn’t really expect it but it makes sense. You’ve been friends forever and you’re practically joined at the hip. I mean, she’s good for you.  _ You’re good for each other.  _ And that’s not even taking into account how this will benefit international unity—“

“Sokka. What in Agni’s name are you talking about?” Zuko’s head pounds. He’s not sure if it’s from his hangover or Sokka’s rambling. 

Sokka looks at Zuko from under his eyelashes. “You and Toph. You deserve each other. You deserve to be happy.”

Zuko’s brain stops functioning for a moment. His mouth drops. The only sound he can manage is a choked laugh. 

Sokka, however, clearly doesn’t see what’s so funny. He sets his jaw and frowns. “You don’t need to laugh at me.”

“No—Sokka! I’m not laughing at you.”

“Then I guess I don’t see what’s so funny.”

“Toph and I… we aren’t dating. Agni, no.” Zuko doesn’t even want to  _ think _ about actually dating Toph. “She’s like my sister.”

“But last night. The dance.”

“I only went with her so she didn’t have to go with Lord Huang.”

”The mouthbreather?”

”Yeah.”

“Oh.” Sokka’s lips part and a faint colour rises in his cheeks. “I just—I assumed…”

“I’m still single.” The rain trickles down Zuko’s face. In his ears, he hears his heartbeat. 

Sokka steps forward. He reaches one hand out, slowly, and lets it hover in the air. “Me too.”

Zuko reaches out for Sokka’s hand. It’s a small movement, but it’s still more bold than he’s ever been before in love. Their fingers tangle together. A lump sits in his throat. “Hey,” he says. 

“Hey, yourself.” 

“I like your hair.” Zuko reaches up and runs his finger across the stubble on the side of Sokka’s head.

“I like your tunic.” Sokka’s free hand traces down the opening. 

“I like you.”

He waits for Sokka’s response. 

It comes in the form of warm lips pressed against his, in the form of a hand on his heart and the smell of Sokka’s sandalwood soap in his nose. 

Zuko lets himself melt into Sokka’s touch.

When they part, he tries to commit every detail of the moment to his memory. The soft rain, the pink roses, the wet stone garden path, and Sokka. Sokka with his swollen lips and a strand free from his wolf-tail and his crooked grin. 

“I like you too.” He squeezes Zuko’s hand. “No more fake-dating Toph?”

“She threatened to seal me in a windowless metal box if I said no.”

“Okay— _ tell me _ next time you’re fake dating Toph.”

The rain falls and the roses bloom and Sokka and Zuko kiss, again and again, in the gardens. 

Sokka is right, Zuko thinks. He does deserve to be happy. 

They both do. 

**Author's Note:**

> Mai’s supportive of her ex and Teo and Haru are each other’s best wingmen.
> 
> Come hang with me on tumblr @snailwriter or check my profile if you want some more Zukka!


End file.
